Criminals coerce elderly scam victims into working as drug mules

The Australian Federal Police is investigating a brand new crime pattern involving aged rip-off victims being compelled to behave as drug mules by organised criminals.

The pattern was detected after the Australian Border Drive (ABF) recognized a sequence of aged passengers carrying illicit medicine at Sydney airport during the last yr.

The AFP has arrested 18 alleged drug mules arriving in Australia since October 2021.

When questioned by detectives, a few of these arrested claimed they’d been coerced into the position after changing into the sufferer of an internet monetary rip-off.

In June, three People, two of them aged, had been arrested at Sydney airport after 15kg of methamphetamine and 1.5 kg of cocaine was allegedly discovered hidden within the lining of their baggage.

Two of the accused instructed police they got the bags in Zimbabwe and had been allegedly travelling to recuperate funds from a rip-off the place they’d misplaced $775,000.

A month later in July, two aged German nationals arrived at Sydney airport with six suitcases allegedly containing 18kg of methamphetamine. 

The couple claimed to police the suitcases had been given to them in Zimbabwe and so they had been instructed of an inheritance price $10 million.

AFP Commander Kate Ferry mentioned it was not shocking prison syndicates had been trying to import medicine into Australia by any means attainable.

“Legal syndicates, by their very nature, exploit weak communities and can undertake no matter techniques essential to import medicine into our nation,” she mentioned.

“Now we have sadly seen situations the place individuals haven’t solely fallen sufferer to basic inheritance or funding scams and misplaced their cash, however they’re then supplied false hope to regain their cash, some unwittingly working as drug mules for the prison syndicate.”

Commander Ferry mentioned the victims of those on-line scams had been usually aged and beneath vital monetary hardship after they dedicated the crime.

 “The victims of scams are already dealing with vital monetary hardship together with any extra emotional trauma because of the net rip-off,” she mentioned.

“These criminals prey on the weak and, at instances, naive and additional victimise them by banking on the truth that they are going to do no matter it takes to recuperate their funds. The results for these victims will be extreme, together with prolonged phrases of imprisonment.”

Commander Ferry urged any Australians coping with monetary scams to contact legislation enforcement and search help.

“We additionally urge all members of the neighborhood, together with the aged, to pay attention to on-line scams and techniques utilized by organised crime to coerce them into offering funds and private data, or undertake worldwide journey.”